User:BeenAroundAWhile/officials

This is a list of California public officials charged with crimes while in office. It includes both elected and appointed officials who were indicted for or formally accused of criminal activities while in office. Those not convicted or those who were acquitted or whose convictions were overturned are legally presumed to be innocent.

The first section is an alphabetical listing of officials mentioned in the article. The second section lists the officials by jurisdiction.

The list does not include grand jury indictments or other legal charges for which the only penalty is removal from office.

For some of the terms used below, see: Acquittal, bribery, charge, conflict of interest, conviction, corruption, embezzlement, extortion, felony, fraud, grand jury, indictment, innocence, misdemeanor, parole, probation, sentence.

Clicking on a name will take you to details below.


 * 1) Richard Alarcon, Los Angeles
 * 2) Gerald Allison, Westminster
 * 3) Joe Anaya, Parlier
 * 4) Philip L. Anthony, Orange County
 * 5) Yvonne Arceneaux, Compton
 * 6) Luis Artiga, Bell
 * 7) Roy Ashburn, state
 * 8) Jim Ayres, San Jacinto
 * 9) Nancy Jo Ayres, San Jacinto
 * 10) Willard E. Badham, state
 * 11) Robert Battin, Orange County
 * 12) Burton Becker, Alameda County
 * 13) G. Vernon Beckett, Los Angeles
 * 14) Victor Bello, Bell
 * 15) Lynn Bedford, San Joaquin County
 * 16) Paul Antoine Biane, San Bernardino County
 * 17) James E. Black, Westminster
 * 18) Daniel E. Blackburn, San Mateo County
 * 19) S.G. Blood, Alameda
 * 20) Bert Bond, Long Beach
 * 21) William G. Bonelli, state
 * 22) James P. Booth, San Bernardino County
 * 23) Omar Bradley, Compton
 * 24) Ernest K. Bramblett, federal
 * 25) David B. Brearly, Vernon
 * 26) Richard Breceda, Irwindale
 * 27) James Brown, San Joaquin County
 * 28) Charles W. Broyles, Alameda
 * 29) Elwood Bruner, state
 * 30) Frank Bryson, Los Angeles County
 * 31) Harry Bunkers, state
 * 32) C.Y. Burns, Venice
 * 33) Isaac J. Button, Sonoma County
 * 34) David Capra, Temple City
 * 35) Mike Carona, Orange County
 * 36) Paul B. Carpenter, state
 * 37) Loraine Chapin, San Diego
 * 38) Howard Cherry, San Diego County
 * 39) Helen Cobb, Helen Cobb
 * 40) Carl J. Coburn, San Mateo
 * 41) George Cole, Bell
 * 42) William Cormack, Los Angeles
 * 43) J.E. Crouch, Venice
 * 44) Randy (Duke) Cunningham, federal
 * 45) Frank Curran, San Diego
 * 46) Henry P. Dalton, Alameda County
 * 47) James M. Damron, state
 * 48) Howard W. Davis, Los Angeles
 * 49) Dante Dayacap, San Diego
 * 50) Joseph Debenedetti, San Mateo
 * 51) Neil Derry, San Bernardino County
 * 52) PIetro Di Carlo, Los Angeles
 * 53) Ralph Diedrich, Orange County
 * 54) Terry Dipple, San Dimas
 * 55) Roy L. Donley, Los Angeles
 * 56) Gordon Dorfsmith, Westminster
 * 57) Roosevelt F. Dorn, Inglewood
 * 58) Charles E. Downs, Los Angeles
 * 59) Baxter Dunn, San Joaquin County
 * 60) Earle B. Duskin, Baldwin Park
 * 61) H.B. Eakins, Venice
 * 62) Jerry Eaves, San Bernardino County
 * 63) Eugene A. Edwards, Westminster
 * 64) Robert Effey, Santa Cruz
 * 65) Walter J. (Jake) Egan, Carson
 * 66) E.J. Emmons, state
 * 67) Jim Erwin, San Bernardino County
 * 68) Robert Eula, Commerce
 * 69) Bobbi Fiedler, federal
 * 70) Leland Fisher, Benicia
 * 71) Buron Fitts, Los Angeles County
 * 72) John F. Fitzpatrick, Los Angeles
 * 73) Joseph M. Frances, San Mateo
 * 74) Frank French, state
 * 75) Ray Fritz, Alameda
 * 76) Tad Fujita, Westminster
 * 77) Justin Garcia, Irwindale
 * 78) E.A. Gerety, Venice
 * 79) David Garofalo, Huntington Beach
 * 80) Ron Gonzales, San Jose
 * 81) Sidney T. Graves, Los Angeles County
 * 82) Lawrence Grissom, San Diego
 * 83) Linda Luz Guevera Huntington Park
 * 84) A.B. Hamilton, Merced County
 * 85) Hillard Hamm, Compton
 * 86) Richard T. Hanna, federal
 * 87) Thomas D. Harp. state
 * 88) Mary Hayashi, state
 * 89) Roger Hedgecock, San Diego
 * 90) Robert B. Hedrick, Compton
 * 91) Mike Hernandez, Los Angeles
 * 92) Oscar Hernandez, Bell
 * 93) Frank Hill, state
 * 94) Andrew Jackson Hinshaw, Orange County
 * 95) James Hlawek, San Bernardino County
 * 96) Allen Hitch, Allen Hitch
 * 97) L.T. Holland, Los Angeles County
 * 98) John H. Hoeppel, federal
 * 99) Tom Hom, San Diego
 * 100) C.B. Horrall, Los Angeles
 * 101) Pamela J. Houchen, Huntington Beach
 * 102) John C. Houlihan, Oakland
 * 103) S.R. Houser, Sonoma County
 * 104) George Howes, California City
 * 105) Jeffrey Hubbard, Beverly Hills Unified School District
 * 106) Ralph Inzunza, San Diego
 * 107) Phil C. Jacks, Commerce
 * 108) Teresa Jacobo, Bell
 * 109) Floyd A. James, Compton
 * 110) Ed Jew, San Francisco
 * 111) John D. Johnson II, Compton
 * 112) C.T. Jones, Sacramento County
 * 113) Asa Keyes, Los Angeles County
 * 114) William Kott, Anaheim
 * 115) Jay Kim, federal
 * 116) Ronald C. Kline, Orange County
 * 117) William H. Kraus, Norwalk
 * 118) R.C. Lowell, Sacramento County
 * 119) Zeb Knott, Contra Costa County
 * 120) Carl Ingold Jacobson, Los Angeles
 * 121) Leonard M. Landsborough, Sacramento County
 * 122) Lawrence A. Lennebach, Cabazon
 * 123) John B. Leonis, Vernon
 * 124) Cathy Lewin, San Diego
 * 125) William J. Locke, Alameda
 * 126) Walter C. Lockwood, Los Angeles
 * 127) George Lord, Nevada County
 * 128) Martin Ludlow, Los Angeles
 * 129) Arthur Loya, Commerce
 * 130) Herbert Madden, Sausalito
 * 131) Albert B. Melony, San Francisco
 * 132) Leonis Malburg, Vernon
 * 133) Bruce V. Malkenhorst Sr., Vernon
 * 134) John Mansperger, San Jacinto
 * 135) Uvaldo Martinez, San Diego
 * 136) Ernest Mayer Jr., Long Beach
 * 137) Thomas J. McGeoghegan, San Jose
 * 138) James Stuart McKnight, Los Angeles
 * 139) James McLean, Irwindale
 * 140) Derek McWhinney, Westminster
 * 141) George Meinhardt, Westminster
 * 142) Charles E. Miles, Los Angeles County
 * 143) George Mirabel, Bell
 * 144) Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco
 * 145) Walter L. Mitchell Jr., Redondo Beach
 * 146) A.A. Montaño, Los Angeles County
 * 147) Joseph B. Montoya, state
 * 148) Floyd Morrow, Floyd Morrow
 * 149) Bruce Munroe, Alameda
 * 150) Martin Murphy, Santa Clara County
 * 151) Frederick F. Myer, Alameda County
 * 152) Ed Neal, Vista
 * 153) John Henry Nedderman, Oakland
 * 154) Pat Nolan, state
 * 155) Louis R. Nowell, Los Angeles
 * 156) Donal O'Callaghan, Vernon
 * 157) James Potts, San Jacinto
 * 158) Lawrence O'Rourke, Commerce
 * 159) Ray Ortiz, San Diego County
 * 160) Arthur Paysen, Westminster
 * 161) John D. Pitts, Bell
 * 162) John Pornierski, Upland
 * 163) Bill Postmus, San Bernardino County
 * 164) John Preku, Bishop
 * 165) Thomas Price, Merced County
 * 166) Maurice H. Quigley, Commerce
 * 167) Amen Rahh, Compton
 * 168) Ed Reinecke, state
 * 169) Paul H. Richards II, Lynwood
 * 170) Alan Robbins, state
 * 171) E.M. Roberts, Kern County
 * 172) Albert T. Robles, South Gate
 * 173) J. Ellis Rodley, Chico
 * 174) Hans W. Roebke, Alameda
 * 175) LeRoy Rose, Fullerton
 * 176) Abe M. Rosenfeld, Los Angeles
 * 177) Robert Rizzo, Bell
 * 178) Karl L. Rundberg, Los Angeles
 * 179) Ronald Saathoff, San Diego
 * 180) Peter Sabatino Jr., West Covina
 * 181) Mike Schaefer, Mike Schaeffer
 * 182) Harry Scheidle, Harry Scheidle
 * 183) Eugene Schmitz, San Francisco
 * 184) Jay Scott, Fresno County
 * 185) William S. Scott, San Francisco
 * 186) Timinado Scovotti, Baldwin Park
 * 187) Charles E. Sebastian, Los Angeles
 * 188) E.C. Seymour, San Bernardino County
 * 189) Thomas D. Shepard, Los Angeles
 * 190) Harvey Silberman, Los Angeles County
 * 191) C. Ray Smith, Crescent City
 * 192) Carolyn Smith, San Diego
 * 193) John F. Smith, Alameda County
 * 194) Keith Smith, Los Angeles
 * 195) V.A. Solari, Tuolumne County
 * 196) Ernestine Solorio, Irwindale
 * 197) Angela Spaccia, Bell
 * 198) Robert Nicholas Starr, Los Angeles
 * 199) C.E. Stauter, Needles
 * 200) Marc A. Stefano, Fresno
 * 201) Robert Stevenson, Los Angeles
 * 202) Fred E. Stewart, state
 * 203) David W. Stilwell, Bakersfield
 * 204) David Stubblefield, San Jacinto
 * 205) John J. Sullivan, Oakland
 * 206) Bob J. Talbert, Corona
 * 207) Valerie Terrigno, West Hollywood
 * 208) Harry W. Thomas, Oakland
 * 209) Walter R. Tucker III, Compton
 * 210) Joel Turner, Los Angeles
 * 211) Luis Tury Jr., Rosemead
 * 212) Jack Vallerga, Orange County
 * 213) Richardo Vasquez, Commerce
 * 214) Paul A. Vincilione, Sausalito
 * 215) John B. Walsh, John B. Walsh
 * 216) Charles Ward, San Joaquin County
 * 217) George D. Watson, Los Angeles
 * 218) Teresa Webster, San Diego
 * 219) H.W. Weineke, San Diego County
 * 220) Harry K. Weitzel, San Diego
 * 221) Peter Werrlein Jr., Bell
 * 222) C.L. Westlake, Monterey County
 * 223) Myron A. Whidden, Alameda County
 * 224) Henry G. Whiddon, Rosemead
 * 225) Augustus C. Widber, San Francisco
 * 226) Maxwell M. Willens, San Joaquin County
 * 227) William H. Williams, state
 * 228) Cathe Wilson, Temple City
 * 229) James Wilson, Long Beach
 * 230) Judy Wong, Temple City
 * 231) Frederic T. Woodman, Los Angeles
 * 232) Danny Allen Woolard, Moorpark
 * 233) Russell Woolfolk, Compton
 * 234) Eli Wright, state
 * 235) Roderick Wright, state
 * 236) Michael Zucchet, San Diego
 * 237) Delores Zurita, Compton

Federal
The dates at the beginning of each listing are approximate.
 * 1936: Representative John H. Hoeppel, convicted of trying to sell an appointment to the West Point Military Academy.
 * 1954: Representative Ernest K. Bramblett, convicted of making false statements to the House Disbursing Office in a scheme that padded his office payroll to conceal kickbacks.
 * 1974: Representative Richard T. Hanna, convicted in an influence-buying scandal.
 * 1986: Representative Bobbi Fiedler, charged with political corruption and accused of offering $100,000 to a rival if he would withdraw from the senatorial primary. The indictment was dismissed by Judge Robert Altman.
 * 1994: Representative Jay Kim, guilty of federal campaign violations in his 1992 campaign.
 * 2006: Representative Randy (Duke) Cunningham, convicted of bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion.

Executive

 * 1975: Lieutenant Governor Ed Reinecke, convicted of perjury and sentenced to 18 months in prison as part of the Watergate investigation. He resigned one day before his sentencing, which was overturned on appeal because "the Senate Judiciary Committee before which he was accused of perjuring himself had failed to publish its rule permitting a one-man quorum."

Legislative

 * 1890–91: State Assemblyman James M. Damron, charged along with Los Angeles Justice of the Peace Walter C. Lockwood with forgery of a promissory note and discounting it at a bank. He was arrested on two other counts of forgery as well. He was acquitted on the promissory-note charge by a jury that deliberated only twenty minutes. He was charged with three additional counts of forgery in January 1891, and this case resulted in a hung jury. A new trial brought the same result. The charges were finally dismissed in September 1891.
 * 1891: State Senator Thomas D. Harp of Tuolumne, Merced and Stanislaus counties, indicted for malfeasance.
 * 1902–03: County Clerk Albert B. Mahony, accused of swearing to a fraudulent salary demand for his friend and milkman, the indictment later ruled invalid by a judge.
 * 1907: Eugene Schmitz, mayor, whose conviction of extortion in 1907 was nullified. He was also charged with bribery but was acquitted.
 * 1921: Supervisor William S. Scott, whose indictment on a charge of being a member of a trust conspiring against trade, was called a "terrible mistake" by the judge who dismissed it on motion of the district attorney.
 * 2007–9: Supervisor Ed Jew, who in late 2008 pleaded guilty to extortion and perjury. He was sentenced to 64 months in state prison for extortion and a year in county jail for perjury.
 * 2011-12: Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, who pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning his wife.

Note: Mayor Joseph L. Alioto was indicted in Seattle. Washington, in 1971 on charges of conspiracy to bribe a public official, but the alleged offense took place before he became mayor. He was acquitted.

San Joaquin County

 * 1895: James Brown, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and Charles Ward. county hospital superintendent, accused of accepting a bribe from an architect to influence their actions in adopting plans for a new county hospital in French Camp. Ward's conviction and sentence of 14 years in state prison was overturned by the State Supreme Court. Brown was tried twice, but each time the jury was unable to agree on a verdict.
 * 1971: Superior Judge Maxwell M. Willens of Stockton, who once served on the State Crime Commission, convicted on three counts of accepting bribes for lighter sentences.
 * 2002-11: Sheriff Baxter Dunn and County Supervisor Lynn Bedford, accused of taking part in a 2002 scheme to secretly lobby on behalf of a power company seeking to build a plant at the Port of Stockton. Dunn pleaded guilty in 2005 to honest-services mail fraud and Bedford pleaded guilty to a charge he lied to federal investigators. Dunn's conviction was overturned in 2011 after he had served six months in prison, served six months of house arrest and paid a $40,000 fine.

San Mateo County

 * 1910–11: Supervisor Daniel E. Blackburn, charged with receiving a bribe over furnishings for the county courthouse in Redwood City. There were two hung juries, both favoring acquittal. Case was dismissed on motion of the district attorney. Blackburn was re-elected while the charges were pending. Others in another bill of indictment were Supervisors Joseph M. Francis and former Supervisors Carl J. Coburn and Joseph Debenedetti, accused of "conspiracy to defraud the county of San Mateo."

Santa Clara County

 * 1904: County Auditor Martin Murphy, embezzlement of county funds, fled to Mexico but was tracked down by a sheriff's deputy and returned voluntarily. Indictment was quashed because of improper content and the case was later dismissed altogether.

San Jose

 * 1904: City Treasurer Thomas J. McGeoghegan, accused of embezzling $9,823, acquitted by a jury when he showed several other people had access to his office.
 * 2006: Mayor Ron Gonzales and his chief of staff, indicted for multiple felonies related to a contract with Norcal Waste Systems, including bribery, misappropriation, and conspiracy. The corruption charges were dismissed a year later when a Superior Court judge ruled that prosecutors had given incorrect instructions to the grand jury and had mistaken routine political behavior for a crime.

Santa Cruz

 * 1888: Mayor Robert Effey, charged with embezzlement in his job as a cashier of the Santa Cruz National Bank. Acquitted by order of the judge because of a flaw in the indictment.

Benicia

 * 1949: City Attorney Leland Fisher, suspended from his job by the City Council after he was indicted on a bribery charge linked to making Benicia a "wide open" town.

Sonoma County

 * 1885: Supervisor S.R. Houser, indicted for embezzlement. His trial resulted in a hung jury.


 * 1910: Supervisor Isaac J. Button, indicted on a charge of "padding his lumber bills." The indictment was dismissed after he paid back the money claimed by the county and resigned his seat, but he was immediately rearrested on a warrant charging him with "obtaining $90 from Sonoma County by false pretenses." That charge, too, was dismissed.

Tuolumne County

 * 1914-15: Supervisor V.A. Solari, acquitted by a Sonora jury of a charge of filing a forged instrument with the county. He had also been indicted for malfeasance in the issuing of a liquor license.

Moorpark

 * 1987: City Councilman Danny Allen Woolard, pleaded guilty to a charge he stole $5,500 from the U.S. post office where he worked, to support a cocaine habit.